S. Sudan claims Sudan intends to abrogate Cooperation Agreement

March 19, 2016 (JUBA) – The South Sudanese government claimed on Saturday that the government of neigbouring Sudan intends to abrogate the cooperation agreement which the two sides had signed in 2012 to ratchet down tensions between the two countries.

The cooperation agreement is not only being fulfilled, but significant steps have already been taken by the government. Our forces have pulled back more than 5 kilometers away from the common border with Sudan. This was supposed to be done by both sides, according to the cooperation agreement but we have noticed it is only our forces which keeps moving backward and each time they move backward, the Sudanese armed instead of taking similar steps and move northward, they move further south. They have now moved beyond Panthou (Heglig). They are at the vicinity of Panakuac now north of Bentiu”, a senior government official told Sudan Tribune on Saturday.

The official, who works at the presidency, said they have discovered that the government of Sudan was working to abrogate the 2012 cooperation agreement as a way to advance regime change agenda by allowing the armed opposition forces take advantage of the withdrawal of the government forces from the common border and take charge.

“The government of Sudan has a clear intention to abrogate cooperation agreement because the way they are conducting themselves these days clearly indicates determination to abrogate the agreement but they want to find an excuse”, said the official, who preferred to remain anonymous

The comments follow similar remarks by South Sudanese information minister Michael Makuei Lueth, who on Thursday accused the Sudanese government of planning to allow armed opposition fighters allied to the former vice president Riek Machar to use the common border to send their troops into South Sudanese territory

A press statement by the Sudanese diplomat to South Sudan, Magdi Mofadel claimed South Sudan has repeatedly postponed meetings of the Joint Political and Security Mechanism. Ever since a meeting in October 2015 in Addis Ababa, the JPSM has failed to convene for a next scheduled meeting in Khartoum.

“The Embassy reminds that South Sudan’s Government support to the Sudanese rebel movements is recognized by the region and the international community who introduced an article in this respect in the Agreement on the Resolution of the Conflict in South Sudan (ARCSS) Article 1.6 of the Chapter 2 of the ARCSS, which deals with the Permanent Ceasefire and Transitional Security Arrangements,” Mofadel said in a statement on Friday.

The Sudanese diplomat cited a part of a provision in the compromise agreement stipulating that the warring parties shall disarm, demobilize and repatriate all “non-state security actors,” including SPLM-N, JEM, SPLA-Minawi and SLA-Abdulwahid.

“In the light of the fact that the Government of South Sudan has not taken any steps in implementing what was agreed on and continued to harbor and support Sudanese rebel movements, the Government of the Sudan found itself compelled to issue the decision taken by the Council of Ministers,” he added.

(ST)